Reading Fun…or something like that

Drew just finished kindergarten and he is completely, without a doubt not even close to reading or writing. Some of his friends have absolutely been bit by the reading bug, but Drew seems to be wearing repellent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not concerned. I think he is a bright, young, immature kid. As advanced as he’s been at his gross motor skills, the rest has gone…a tad slow. I refuse to be one of those moms who goes crazy from this because I believe it will come, just in its own time. That doesn’t mean that I will be passive and wait for the bug to come to him…that FOR SURE would not be my style 🙂

Everyone thinks I’m being self-deprecating when I explain that Noah’s lack of walking is because I can’t deal with life and spend the majority of the time carting him around on my hip. But unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the more I work with him the better he is doing with his walking. The same I believe to be true with Drew. I’d like to say the school year was full of working on the computer and daily “Book in a Bag” reading but I’d be lying. Homework has become an absolute disaster in this house. I avoid it, I dread it and it becomes a major scene once we all apply ourselves. Therefore, I am not surprised that Drew isn’t further along in this area.

When school let out, our teacher armed us with packets, websites and lessons to work with our emerging readers. For this over-worked mom, that is just another reminder of frustration and disappointment with myself and managing my kids. How am I going to find the time, get the kids situated to accommodate a positive learning environment and work on these things with my emerging reader? And if I don’t do this, will his inability to read fall on my shoulders?

Today I had the opportunity to go to an event at Meatheads Burgers & Fries for a literacy program. The head of marketing discussed how the restaurant was focused on involvement in the community, encouraging kids to read and have fun while doing it all. They seemed so positive and excited about what they were doing that it was an eye opener for me. I need to shift my approach. Rather than thinking about these tools as responsibilities and something else on my never-ending to-do list, I need to think of reading as a fun exploration. I decided for it to start with the Meatheads’ voracious reading rewards program. If you read five books, the child gets a free burger! Drew, no surprise as MY son, is definitely motivated by food 🙂

Guess who else is motivated by food??? This little Meathead came along 🙂

This may not be the website, packets or other things that the teacher specifically laid out for us but it’s gotta be better than nothing, right? And for the time being, that’s all I can handle. Maybe at some point, I will have my act together more and be able to do all these other things…but I wouldn’t hold your breath. I just figured out the benefit that Noah gets in being the third child – he may not walk until he’s two but he’ll actually be able to practice reading because the other two will have homework also! 🙂

***Want to win $25 to Meatheads???? Make sure to LIKE Mommy’s Two Cents on Facebook and tell me what you do educationally over the summer to keep your kids learning all year long.

Don’t forget to check out the fabulous Beth Engelman (Mommy on a Shoestring) at Meatheads this Saturday for Story Time and Craft from 10-11am in Northbrook!!!